Beedle the Bard's Tale of Three Brothers
by Polyplectron
Summary: Beedle the Bard was a passionate story teller, come sit around children and enjoy his 'Tale of Three Brothers'. A tale not uncommon in featuring the brothers Tom Marvolo, Severus Tobias and Harry James. One died for power, one died for love and one greeted Death as an old friend. Inspired by the script for Tale of Three Brothers scene in DH


**This has been inspired by an image no doubt all of you has seen on the net of Voldemort, Snape and Harry as the Peverell brothers. I have also noticed that this is not a new concept to anyone and has been done before, but this is my take on it. I felt compelled to write one. Also I am still working on The Creature and Years of Burden I am in the middle of writing the story boards so I don't get distracted. Enjoy this one guys and gals and don't forget to comment. :) All characters and ideas are property of JK Rowling and by some extent Warner Bros**

**The Tale of the Three Brothers**

_'There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight.'_

The moon hung over three shadowy figures. Walking together, the three brothers trudged silently through the forest. They had been travelling for a week, having been kicked out of a distant village where they had been drinking in a small inn. The first brother, who had a mighty temper, had quarrelled with a local man. The second brother had watched undeterred while the third brother had tried to stop it.

Ahead walked the first brother, he was the eldest of the three. His name was Tom. He was tall and had the darkest of hair. In his younger years, he had been very handsome and many had adored him and flocked to him. He used it to his advantage and in the end they all feared him. He was powerful and cruel, this had aged him terribly.

Following dutifully was the second brother, he was no better than his older brother. His name was Severus. He had an aquiline nose that protruded from his face and dark hair that hung sadly from his head. Walking ram rod straight with his hands at his sides, he disappeared into the recess of his mind. For you see, he was a broken man. For years he had worked and pined after a girl he loved only to have it thrown in his face. Yet he still ached for her, for something he could never have in this reality, for she was dead.

Pulling the rear was the third brother, the youngest of the three. His name was Harry. He had a youthful face, only just turning 18, on top of his nose sat round glasses and he had untidy jet-black hair. All his life, his brothers had hated him, for he was a kind soul. The first brother would goad him into terrible acts and when he would refuse, he would be punished. In their youth, the first brother, in a fit of anger, had thrown a stick at him and drawn blood. The cut had since healed over, leaving a lightning bolt scar on the third brother's forehead. The second brother would often taunt the third brother. He would call him names, 'arrogant', 'swine' and 'dunderhead', accusing him of stealing his belongings and ridiculing him in the worst possible ways.

_'In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across… '_

"We seemed to have reached a crossroad, my brothers" hissed the first brother.

"So it would seem" the second brother sighed grimly.

There they stood together at the water's edge. The current was strong and it was agreed that it was much too dangerous to swim.

"It is much too dangerous, maybe we should walk up river; we might come across a bridge, it will be safer"

The older brothers stared unimpressed at the youngest brother.

"Such a fascinating idea, let us wander aimlessly upstream and add a time to our journey, you really are worthless." Spat the second brother.

"Are we not wizards?! Stand aside you imbeciles; I shall make my own way! No mere river will stop me!"

_'These brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water.'_

The first brother extracted a long piece of wood from his cloak. It was thirteen and a half inches in length. Made from yew and had the core of a phoenix feather. He waved it and at a nearby conifer and it began to unravel. Strips of bark flew through the air and hovered in succession across the river. The leaves of the harvested tree, wove its way through the splinters into a strong weave pattern.

"Ingenious, allow me to assist"

The second brother released a similar tool, concealed in the sleeve of his cloak. The length was unknown and may have been made of birch, he had never cared to ask the Maker who fashioned it. Pointing it at a large boulder, he murmured an incantation and the rock started to crack. It burst into a thousand pieces, it all rolled across the undergrowth towards the edge of the stream. Like little pebbles, the masses of rock plopped softly into the water. Raising out from the water, under the bark weave the first brother had fashioned, rose ten columns of pebbled rock, fusing together to form beams of support.

"Don't just stand there you fool!"

The third brother tenderly pulled out his wand. It was eleven inches and made of holly. It shared the same core as the first brother. Shrugging off his outer cloak, he levitated it into the air, it began to unravel into a long string. From all directions, the string shot towards the bridge, winding and wrapping itself around the bark and rock to secure the bridge. It was safe to cross.

The third brother tested the bridge with his foot, proving its strength; he was pushed out of the way by the first brother followed by the second. He grudgingly crossed last.

_'They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure. '_

The brothers pointed their wands in defence. The first brother fierce and ready for battle, the second brother held no emotion what so ever but inside he receded ever so slightly, the third brother held his own, full of curiosity and caution.

The hooded figure was revealed to be Death.

_'And Death spoke to them. '_

"Well done brothers, well done"

_'Death was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travellers usually drowned in the river. '_

"Most travellers drown in the river, I know this because I sit and watch. When they take their last gasp and their lungs fill with water I scoop them out and carry their dripping corpses away. You are all very powerful, very powerful and cunning oh yes, do I also detect a little bravery as well?"

The brothers remained with their wands raised, unsure of their fates.

"How clever you are to defy death and create for yourselves, a means of passage."

_'But Death was cunning.'_

"I am regrettably impressed and I extend to you my deepest congratulations"

_'He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him.'_

"First to Tom Marvolo, for your initiative and defiance. I award you one gift. Think carefully for what you ask for."

The first brother nodded, smiling at Death quite maniacally.

"Second to Severus Tobias, for creative thinking and the enchanting way you encourage those closest to you. I also award you one gift. Think carefully for what you ask for"

The second brother nodded, allowing a sneer.

"Third to Harry James", Death paused, "for pure nerve and outstanding courage. I also award you one gift. Think carefully what you ask for"

The third brother eyed Death, but thanked him for his offer.

Death allowed the brothers a moment of silence to reflect on what they most desired. A meddlesome twinkle caught in Death's hollow eyes, anticipating the brother's choices.

_'So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death!'_

Death looked at the brother calmly, yet a fire burned within him.

"And such a wand I shall fashion"

_'So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother.'_

"This is the Elder wand. It is fifteen inches long and made of the elder you see over there. Its core contains Thestral hair which is a tricky substance that only wizards who have mastered death can control. It is the most powerful wand in existence"

The first brother snatched it from Deaths hands and held it in front of him triumphantly.

_'Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. '_

Death, hiding his annoyance, said,

"And such a device I shall fashion"

_'So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead.'_

"This is the Resurrection Stone, it will give you the power to defy life and death. Turn the stone thrice in hand when the time is right and you will see your loved one again but be warned. It does not do well to dwell on dreams and forget to live"

The Second Brother allowed Death to drop the stone into his hands, he stared at it in petrified awe.

_'And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.'_

"This Invisibility Cloak has been crafted from that of my own cloak. It will give you the ability to remain hidden from your enemies and even me. You will be wise to look after it, and with that I shall leave you, until next we meet."

The third brother thanked Death graciously for his gift.

_'Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so, talking with wonder of the adventure they had had, and admiring Death's gifts. In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination.'_

The brothers crossed the river. The First Brother pointed his new prize and blew up the bridge with a mighty crack that shook through the forest and startled his brothers. He basked in the power the wand allowed him and released a gleeful cry.

"At last, I am the most powerful wizard in the world! Oh foolish brothers, you chose so unwisely, however, there is only allowance for one powerful wizard here. It would be quite regrettable if I had to kill you Severus." He look down his nose at the Third Brother, "Not so much you Harry, but I feel generous this night I think. I'll give you both a head start"

And with that, the brother turned and disappeared into the night in a whirl of dark smoke.

_'The first brother travelled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, sought out the wizard with whom he had quarrelled. Naturally with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible.'_

"Wizards and Witches you see before you the most powerful wizard in the entire world! Feast your eyes upon this mighty weapon, this wand of endless possibilities and power. I conquered Death and lived to tell the tale and upon his defeat he regrettably carved me this fine wand from an elder tree far from here. Do not dare defy me, or you shall succumb to Death's embrace like this imbecile who twice defied me. I ask you to join me, as I lead you into a newer and better world!"

_'That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine-sodden, upon his bed. The thief took the wand and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother's throat. And so Death took the first brother for his own.'_

When the first brother had fled back from whence they came, the second brother had remained motionless, staring at the stone now resting in his hands.

"What are we going to do Severus? Shall we keep travelling together?"

The second brother sneered angrily at his younger brother and closed his hand possessively around the stone .

"What another enthralling idea, don't you see? I have everyone I need or ever desired here, in my hand! I will not endure this wretched endeavour any longer"

With a pop, the second brother disappeared.

The third brother stood alone in the twilight. He was now free of his brothers and he feared would never see again. Maybe that was not such a bad thought.

_'Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him.'_

__"Sev?"

"Lily!"

"Where am I?" The girl he had loved floated before him. She was everything he remembered. Beautiful porcelain skin and pale red hair with green eyes that could pierce any man's soul. He knew all too well for they pierced his own.

He fell down to his knees and cried. Crying with sorrow, with grief, with anger and with shame, shouting his love for her and confessing his undying devotion to her. Years he had suffered the guilt of her death, years he was burned by her choosing another and years he remained lost without her with him.

He stood swiftly and approached her, his tears still running down his face. Reaching out to her his hand fell short, disappearing through her, something was wrong

_'She was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her. And so Death took the second brother for his own.'_

"How foolish you were brothers. To think you could defy Death. Your own greedy and selfish desires caused your premature demise. Now I shall seek the final brother and complete my collection."

_'But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son.'_

The third brother eased his way down into his chair, his knees cracking against the pressure. Urging his son over with a weary hand he suggested he sit next to him. The son did so. The brother regarded his son. James, he had called him. Holding the cloak in his trembling hands he gave it to his son, who accepted it eagerly.

"Son, there comes a time in every man's life when he must accept the fact that one day he will die."

The son began to protest, his jet black hair jossling as he shook his head in a panic. He had his mother's brown eyes, but greatly resembled his father in many ways. Harry smiled at his son and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Do not pity the dead James. Pity the living and, above all, those who live without love"

_And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and they departed this life, as equals…_


End file.
